An Artists Biography is a story of relationships that
flow together to create the artist's life and her work.
I would like to share my story with you . . .
My goal as an artist is to provide experiences connecting people
to beauty and to their feelings of being in meaningful relationship
with our world. This goal inspires both my art and my life, and
grows from the roots of my deep connection with, and reverence
for the earth.
Our natural world--with its variety of transitions of light, forms,
colors and textures--provides renewing inspiration, ever influences
my approach to creating art and the content of the work I create.
~Linda L. Anderson~
I grew up surrounded by the beauty of the American southwest. The wonder and variety of my early environment stirred my imagination and gave birth to a heightened sensitivity to nuances of light, color, and natural form. Nature was my first inspiration and remains a preeminent theme in my art. Uniting with the impact of nature on the themes and subject matter of my work is the influence of the cultural history of the people I have come in contact with in my life travels and through my research.
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| Taking in the beauty of nature in Asheville, North Carolina |
I have traveled this earth having the vision and heart of an artist, and the curiosity of a scientist. I have retained a child-like wonder of natural forms, textures, and colors as they are transformed by the agents of matter, energy, weather and human activity within the medium of time.
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| (1). View of one of my ceramic sculptures, "Molten Flow:Earth Mandala" (a raku-glazed, hand-built ceramic),and some of my crystals. (2). A crystal I purchased at Skyline Caverns, Front Royal, VA. |
I feel that my interest in changes that have occurred throughout time—and how the flow of time and change connects us to all that has happened—or all that lies beneath the surface—gave birth to a foundational theme in my art. I am fascinated with rich patinas and textures that invite the play of light over form, and transform our experience of what we perceive.
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| "Aurum", a raku-glazed, hand-built ceramic bowl by Linda L. Anderson |
All of the changes and manipulations of mediums and marks involved in the processes of art-making—all of the shifting of individual parts and adjustments in the relationships between these elements—are as important to my finished artworks as is that which is easily appreciated on the surface.
I hope that people will feel the energy of what is happening beneath the surface, both in my art and within their own selves. And I hope they will discover beauty deep within that extends outward to contribute to the whole composition of their lives.
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| Working on my painting, "Along the Amber Trail: A Moment in Time" a few months before the finished work was shipped to Poland, where it will be on permanent exhibition as a part of the Library's Permanent Collection in the American Corner of the Dolnoslaska Biblioteka Publiczna in Wroclaw, Poland. |
My life story and my art were also influenced by changes and travels that took me far from my land of origin, as well as a period when I pursued a formal education in the fine arts and humanities. During my mid twenties, I had the opportunity to live in England for a four year period, and later, I returned to Europe to travel and to connect with the people and cultural history of Central Europe. My series of works on the Irish, and a current series focused on the ancient Celts of Central Europe are linked to these travels.
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| "Inherit the Wind" by Linda L. Anderson. This painting is part of my "Traces of the Celts" Collection--that features the land, the people and the history of Ireland. |
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| "Elemental Fugue: State II" is one of my "Dimensional Landscapes". |
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| "Opening to the Secrets of Stones" by Linda L. Anderson. This mixed-media painting combines painting and printmaking processes, as do many of my "Dimensional Landscapes". |
As a printmaking major at Marywood, I advanced in technical proficiency and began to combine aspects of painting, printmaking, sculpture and book arts. As I continued to explore this method of composing my mixed-media paintings, my "Dimensional Landscapes" series emerged. This body of work continues to engage my creative mind.
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| At my M.F.A. art exhibition opening event; Marywood University, Scranton, PA. |
In 2006, I was awarded a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking. Following the conclusion of my university education, I returned to my first teacher—the earth—and her people and environments. I then chose to nestle myself in the mountain valleys of Northwestern Virginia and thereby, I have found the land that makes my soul feel it has found its home.
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| Enjoying autumn in the George Washington State Forest, near Front Royal, VA. |
It is the sense of belonging to this place of natural beauty, and to the communities that have welcomed me that I have been able to fully live the life of my heart’s call and to thrive as an artist having a life that is rich with meaningful connections. The landscapes, the people and the themes that are integral to the subject matter within my artworks are directly connected to my passion for sharing beauty and meaning through my art.
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| A tributary to the Northern Fork of the Shenandoah River of northwestern VA. |
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| Trillium in spring: one of the wildflowers that graces the forest floor in the Shenandoah Valley. |
I work directly from the material, events and discoveries of my life and lived experience. My art, as my life, remains connected to the beauty in nature and the cultural history and personal stories of people around the world—and within my own community.
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| With an art student who has joined me to "Journey into the Landscape" as I share insights on drawing nature from life. |
